Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
by Blood Thirsty Me
Summary: Out of all the things that have happened, a new school did not bother Dariru in the slightest. But she'll soon discover that the students here are far from ordinary. Something she can relate to. KisameXOC. AU
1. New School Oh Joy

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

**Author's Note:**** I really shouldn't be starting a new story _ but I can't help it. I NEED MAH FIX MAN! **

**Anyway, the female character is basically Takeo Dariru from my other story, **_**I Dream of the Ocean and I See Myself Die, **_**but I tweeked her up a bit based on the environment/culture. Which is, you guessed it, modern day! So she'll be a silly high-schooler :p**

**And Canon character's ages will be messed with for story purposes. Sorry if that gets your knickers in a twist.**

**Reviews are loved and appreciated~**

**And I don't know about you guys, but the chicken nuggets at my school were always DELICIOUS! They were like, the one thing I always looked forward to on Wednesday!**

**Summary:**** Out of all the things that have happened, a new school did not bother Dariru in the slightest. But she'll soon discover that the students here are far from ordinary. Something she can relate to. KisameXOC**

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Chapter One: New School...Oh Joy

In a circle of friends, there's always one person who everyone goes to when they need a shoulder to cry on. That's me. No matter how hard or angry my friends cry, I always give them a pat on the back and say, "It'll be okay," or "Everything's going to turn out fine, you'll see.". But when it was time for me to cry on a shoulder, my friends were too far away for me to receive any real comfort.

I'm not saying that they're bad friends, they're wonderful really, it's just that bad events had to happen when Mom and I had just got done moving into our new house.

Of course, this event was mentally traumatic for me, so if you don't mind, I'd rather not delve into it right now.

Anyway, this new neighborhood we just moved into is pretty nice. Very suburban and experienced all fours seasons in a year. We've been here for about a week and I was lucky enough to have landed a job at the local video game store just fifteen minutes away. Mom was closer to her job now too.

My first day of school starts tomorrow. Honestly, I was pretty excited about it. Even though I had heard the classes were challenging, I was happy to be taking them. All the work would keep my mind occupied from other thoughts.

I'm not being sarcastic, honest! Right now my mind is a frightening place to be. I have been having thoughts of mass homicide and torture. Even the occasional suicidal thought has crossed my mind which, believe me, is a rarity and it frightens me.

I've been frightening myself so much lately.

Thank God for violent video games. They're the only way I can relieve myself of such thoughts before I see the psychiatrist. The last thing I want is to tell her how I really feel. If she ever found out what really went on in my maniacal head, I'd be getting a prescription for a pill that I know I don't need.

Two hours before bed. I was in my temporarily clean room, sitting comfortably on my bed with my laptop's open screen illuminating the darkness. Posters of my favorite video games and movies almost completely covered the white walls. Two of my cats, Stanley and Shadow, rested on either side of me while I chatted with my friend via MSN.

**Chocolate Bear: **You excited for your first day at your new school? :)

**White Guuuurl: **Honestly, yeah I am :3 Though, I'm gonna miss you lots D:

**Chocolate Bear: **I already miss you! DX But, you'll do great! You're a smart cookie!

**White Guuuurl: **Whatever you say XD

**Chocolate Bear: **I've gotta go to bed now girlie XP I'll tell everybody how you're doing!

**White Guuuurl: **Aw, okay. I'll talk to ya tomorrow, okay? Love ya!

**Chocolate Bear: **3 u 2!

_Chocolate Bear appears to be offline. Messages you send will be delivered when they sign in._

Shayla, or Chocolate Bear, was the closest thing to a sister that I had. Except she didn't come with the bad side-effects that a few sisters tend to come with.

It had been hard to say good-bye to her out of all of my friends.

I closed my laptop and placed it gently on my bed. After getting the two aggravated cats out of my room, I moved the electronic device to the wooden floor carefully before going to bed. I made sure my alarm was set for the proper time and that the sound was turned up all the way. I had to adjust my crowbar so that I did not feel uncomfortable with it being under my pillow before falling to sleep.

Tomorrow was a new day for a new life.

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My alarm awoke me from one of my favorite dreams. I had been flying in my dream and I could feel everything. I had felt the cold wind whip around my body and even felt my stomach rise up into my throat when I dove down for a landing. It had been such a beautiful feeling that it made me wish I had my own pair of wings.

Sadly, it was just an impossible dream and that buzzing alarm had to remind me of it.

Sitting up suddenly, I smacked the alarm off before jumping out of bed for a shower. Whenever it was the first day of school, I was always full of energy for the entire day. Strange? Yes. Did I care? Not really. As long as I was able to get there on time, I didn't care.

I won't go into detail about how I got ready for school. You already know how it goes.

Even though I had my driver's license, I still took the bus. It was free transportation and I did not want to pay that ridiculous price for gas anymore than I have to. Plus, it was a _high school_. There are bound to be retarded drivers and I'd rather not pay for damages done to my car.

The bus arrived early but we all had to pile out anyway. I could see the stereotypes and they all looked strange to me. At first I figured a few people would look at me weird for being the new kid; as if they could just smell the newbie scent amongst the familiar crowd. Very few even glanced in my direction.

It's not like I was expecting people to flock to me because I was new; but it just felt so odd to not know anyone here. No one was waiting for me in a classroom to chat about what had happened yesterday or to talk about the latest movies that were coming out.

This is the part where you'd expect someone in my situation to say something along the lines of, "No one would even notice me if I left. No one would care. Nobody _does _care."

But I'm an optimistic person. Granted I've been less optimistic lately, but I still have my hopes. The school day was not over yet! There was bound to be at least _one _person I would be able to talk to.

I stared at my schedule, trying to figure out what my locker number was. Because I wasn't paying attention I bumped shoulders with someone. The boy shot me a glare and snarled like a dog, "Watch where you're going!"

As he continued on his way, he left behind a girl who looked torn between following him or staying behind. The poor thing started nibbling at her lip and poking her two index fingers together. I felt sorry for her; she looked like the type of girl who got stuck in abusive relationships and was too terrified to speak out against her boyfriend.

Mustering up some courage, I walked up to her and asked, "Are you okay?"

She seemed to jump at the sound of my voice. "U-u-uh...y-yes. Um..." Her eyes followed the boy that I had bumped into before saying, "E-excuse me!" She darted off after him, weaving gracefully around the crowds of students that cluttered the area.

I shrugged, hoping that boy hadn't been her boyfriend, and continued to search for my locker.

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Lunch came and I still had been unable to talk to anyone long enough to be considered an acquaintance. So after buying my lunch, I went to the end of a half-full table.

Now my hopes were starting to drop. Sure I could just ask a group of kids if I could sit with them, but that would be too damn awkward. What would really be embarrassing is if they rejected me. I just hoped that there was some kind soul out there that would at least sit near me.

Lo-and-behold, there was. Just as I was starting to eat a chicken nugget, a girl came up to me.

She was a cute and simple girl. Her olive skin looked smooth and her brown eyes held kindness and toughness all at once, which reminded me of Shayla. The outfit she wore was adorable, and the fact that her hair had been tied up into two buns made it even cuter.

"Do you mind if me and my friends sit with you?" She asked kindly.

I gave her a smile. She has no idea how much this has made my day. "Go right ahead!"

She gave me a smile before sitting across from me. "I'm TenTen," she greeted. "Are you a Freshman?"

I shook my head and swallowed a mouthful of juicy chicken meat. "Junior. But, I just moved here. What grade are you in?"

"Sophomore. Where'd you move from?" She took a large bite out of an apple.

"Kiri," I answered just as two boys walked up behind TenTen.

One boy had long brown hair and reminded me of the girl I had seen in the hall this morning. They both had the same lavender, pupil-less eyes and pale skin. Instead of looking timid, however, this boy looked like serious business.

The second boy was a strange sight to behold. Not only were his bushy eyebrows hidden beneath his bowl-cut hair, but he worse a green jumpsuit. I'm not kidding! I thought for sure it violated a dress code of some sort.

"Who's your new friend TenTen?" The boy in the jumpsuit asked a bit too excitedly as he sat down next to me.

TenTen opened her mouth to answer, but stopped when she realized that I had yet to reveal my name. "I...don't know. What was your name again?"

"Oh, I'm Dariru," I chuckled a little in embarrassment. "So, who are you guys?" I looked at the boys.

Again, the jumpsuit boy was the first to speak up. "I'm Rock Lee! And I'm going to be the best athlete this school has ever seen!" He sounded fired up as he expressed his dream. It was funny, considering he didn't look like the athletic type. He looked more like the type who would watch weird hentai in his mother's basement.

Then again, I'm sure I looked like a total dyke to these people. Better not judge a book by its cover from now on.

"Alright," I turned to the serious boy, who had taken a seat next to TenTen. "And you?"

The boy did not even look up at me let alone answer my question.

"Okay," I mumbled, "Never mind then." There was always one person like this. I just didn't expect to be meeting that person.

TenTen rolled her eyes at the boy next to her. "Don't mind _Neji _here. He's always grumpy."

The boy, Neji apparently, shot her a glare for revealing his name. The girl ignored it and crunched on her apple happily.

I gave TenTen a small smile and soon I was having idle conversation with her and Lee. The only time Neji participated was when he would either roll his eyes, glare, or even, yes ladies and gentlemen, _chuckle. _The supposedly serious business Sophomore had a sense of humor!

Of course, as soon as the bell rang we had to depart. With them being Sophomores and I a Junior, it was highly unlikely that we would have any classes together. But I didn't mind so much. At least I had talked to two people instead of just one. It was a start and that was good enough for me on the first day of school.


	2. The Video Game Store

Chapter Two: The Video Game Store

**Author's Note:**** I am so glad all of my classes are in the afternoon. Why? Cause now I can stay up late doing homework that I should have been doing when I was writing this XD hehehe. But, I'll get it done, no worries. It's a simple project too. Gotta start doing 150 sketches that take between 30 seconds and 10 minutes to do. So it's really simple :3 **

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter :P Reviews are loved and greatly appreciated!**

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I couldn't stay at home for long. After changing into my work uniform, and grabbing one of Mom's fiber bars, I jumped into my car and drove to work. Even though it had been the first day of school, I had been given two homework assignments. One was from Creative Writing, which involved the typical "write a 2 page report about who you are, what you like, etc."; the other came from Geometry, but it looked easy. The teacher had done a good job explaining how to do the equations before handing the assignment out. Lucky for me, since math of any sort is not my strong point.

Like branches on a tree, all of the stores were there because of the biggest one smack dab in the middle. Thankfully, everybody decided to take up the spaces in front of that store, giving me a wide variety of places to park without having to worry about some random kid jumping out in front of me.

Once I locked up my car, I went into the little video game store and clocked in. Three minutes early, excellent. For twenty minutes, it was the typical work day. Help the customers, help the boss restock, set up some displays for expectant titles.

And then, it all stopped.

I waited patiently for another customer, while organizing things on the side. Fifteen minutes and still nothing. God damn school days made business slow. During my wait I was able to get my math done and started writing my rough draft for Creative Writing. .

Much to my dismay, I was able to finish both homework assignments and still no one came in. Not even my boss asked for help. I scanned the array of games, grinning at the ones that looked good and gagging at the ones that were total crap. My eyes landed on an old, first generation Xbox game and unwanted nostalgia roamed in my head.

Nostalgia was killed violently by those homicidal thoughts I had mentioned earlier.

I scrunched my hands up into fists and went to my boss. "Hey," I said loud enough for him to peel his eyes away from the computer screen.

"Yeah?"

"Is it alright if I play a video game on one of the 360's?"

Sorry folks, but I was a total Microsoft girl. Sue me.

"Sure. Just make sure not to ignore customers," He resumed his game of _Battle Field Heroes_ and I began searching the drawers for the perfect game.

Lucky for me, the store had it! After unlocking the little decorative cage that kept the store's Xbox 360 hidden, I plopped the game in and switched the demo mode off.

_The Darkness_. One of the most violent and ideological sensitive games out there. I had heard that it was almost rated _Adults Only _when it first came out.

The best part about that? There was _no_ nudity or sex in this game. None. It was pure carnage and I loved it.

Ten minutes in and I had already cleared the first level. I knew this game like the back of my hand. Of course, it also happened that two customers walked in. I forced myself to press the pause button and made my way to the two boys.

They both looked like they were my age and they both looked handsome.

Sexy even.

One guy was nicely tanned and had scars that reminded me of the more recent Joker. Despite that, however, he looked like he was trying to be a professional weight lifter. At least that's what I thought, judging by how tight that long-sleeved shirt was on him. His long hair was a nice shade of brown and his eyes were a bright green. Kind of cool looking if you asked me. Oh, and he was freakin' _tall_! I wasn't even next to him yet, but I was sure I wouldn't even come up to his shoulder!

His companion was shorter than him, but was still a nice height. To be honest, he looked like an Italian mobster. His silver hair was slicked back, and his red-violet dress shirt was unbuttoned at the top, revealing some kind of religious pendant resting on his chest. The look was thrown off a bit by his blue jeans, but you get the idea.

For some reason, the mobster-wannabe looked familiar to me. Maybe I had seen him somewhere at school?

Anyway, I switched to business mode and gave them both a smile. "Is there anything I can help you two gentlemen with?"

The tan Joker scoffed at the word 'gentlemen' and shook his head. Okay, so calling them 'gentlemen' was probably overkill on the polite department; but I can't help myself. I was told to always be polite to people, especially when it came to work.

The mobster-wannabe looked at me with a quizzical look. He was probably trying to figure out whether I was a guy or a girl.

I had purposefully ordered a shirt size that was too big for me to avoid those "go make me a sammich" jokes. Seriously, they come up more often than you think.

Anyway, the guy seemed to have given up on deciding what my gender was before shaking his head. "Nah, we're just looking."

"Alright," I nodded, "If you need any help please ask." They ignored me and I went back to my game.

Very rarely will members of the male species need help finding something in a video game store. They know exactly what they're getting themselves into when they walk in.

The two started arguing about who had which game. It was something I couldn't help them with, so I continued playing my game. They got closer and soon I could feel one of them watching me play over my shoulder.

Luckily for them the game was starting to get _really_ good.

In the game, there were five dead bodies and one demonic minion running around, pissing on their corpses. The minion made one of the boys chuckle. I went up to one of the dead bodies and pressed the right bumper on the controller.

Two snake-like demons and black tentacles appeared on either side of the screen. Looking down at one of the dead bodies, an option appeared and I pressed the necessary button to do it. Immediately, the snake on the right plunged into the man's chest and tore out his heart. The demon faced the screen and swallowed the muscle whole, the slimy sound effects making me shiver in delight.

I loved this kind of stuff. Even before the bad event I had a thing for gore and blood. When I was twelve, I would play _Halo _just so I could beat an alien's dead body and watch its blood splatter across the ground.

Pretty sick, huh?

Anyway, the mobster-wannabe spoke behind me. "What game is _that_?" He sounded excited and it made me grin.

"_The Darkness_," I began to explain what the game was about. He seemed uninterested about the storyline, so I told him about the more violent aspects of the game. "The graphics and targeting system is okay. But I play it for the gore." I moved out of the way and handed him the controller. "Go ahead and try it."

It took him a while to get used to the controls, but when he did he was hooked. I could hear him say, "Die bitch," under his breath. He even chuckled darkly when he had the snakes eat hearts.

When he completed an entire level, his friend stopped him. "Hidan, we need to get going soon."

Now I knew where I had seen the boy. He had been in my geometry class. Throughout the whole class I could hear him flicking paper-wads at his buddies in the back of the room.

Hidan rolled his eyes. "Fine," he mumbled, hitting the pause button and looking at me. "You got a copy of this game?"

I told him I would check. The computer showed one new copy and three used.

"New or used?" I asked.

He scoffed as if I had asked a stupid question. "New. Duh."

I pushed his comment aside and was able to find the new copy. His friend grabbed a game and controller off the shelves and placed it on the counter. "These too," he said.

"You gonna pay for those?" Hidan asked his companion, nodding at the two items.

The tan boy gave him a hard look for the longest time before Hidan finally made an annoyed clicking sound with his tongue. "Damn it Kakuzu. You're a real asshole, you know that?" He reached for his wallet hurriedly as I scanned the three items awkwardly.

I gave him his change once the currency had been exchanged. With a smile, I gave him the plastic bag that carried their new items. "Have a good day and I'll see you at school."

At this, they both gave me a weird look before leaving. Hidan didn't even wait until they had left the store before asking, "Do you know her?"

Kakuzu shook his head and Hidan scoffed.

"Weirdo."

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The next day of school was not as awkward as the first day. Turns out, TenTen's locker was pretty close to mine, so we just talked until the warning bell rang. We even exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

I'll have to warn her about my abusive cell phone neglect at lunch.

First period came and went as did the second. Third period was geometry and it was then that I saw the silver-haired mobster-wannabe, Hidan. He was sitting with two others, one was a boy and the other was...either a guy or girl. I couldn't tell, but they both looked pretty good.

The one who definitely looked like a guy had red wavy hair. He looked bored with the conversation Hidan was having with the girl/guy, who was sporting long blonde hair.

Hidan must have cracked a joke of some kind, for the blonde threw his head back and laughed.

Yeah, definitely a guy.

The silver-haired boy looked at me as I passed and I couldn't help but smile at him. Maybe he would recognize me?

I sat near the front of the class and glanced over at him. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit interested.

Hey, I'm allowed to find men attractive aren't I?

Anyway, Hidan seemed to be having a hushed argument with the long-haired blonde. I couldn't hear what they were arguing about, but the red-head looked annoyed. He seemed to finally get fed up with it and stood up to leave.

I started taking out my textbook before noticing someone was standing by my desk. I looked up and saw the red-head staring down at me with the most bored look I had ever seen on a person.

"Are you a boy or a girl?" He asked.

The question baffled me for a moment before I was able to compose a reply. "Um...girl."

He returned to his expectant companions before saying, "She's a girl. Now shut up."

Good to know I'm able to deceive people with my baggy clothes and small breasts.

As I made sure I had all of my supplies for the class, I heard someone call out, "Hey girlie!"

I ignored the call. They must have been asking for someone else.

Someone whistled as if they were calling a dog over. "Hey! Video game chick!"

Now I knew they were talking to me. I looked around the room before I saw Hidan's hand motioning for me to come over. Surely he must have been talking to some other video game playing girl. Just to make sure, I pointed at myself and mouthed "me?".

"No, the other dyke in the Freddy Krueger sweater," He answered sarcastically.

I let out an aggravated sigh before walking over to him and his friends. On closer inspection, the blonde had electric blue eyes that popped out against his thick black eyeliner. At least, I think his other eye was blue since it was covered up by a long blonde bang.

Hidan's eyes were a nice amethyst color, making me think he had colored contacts. "So you were the one working at the video game store, right?"

"Yeah. Did you play that game yet?" I asked. Maybe I could strike a conversation with him about _The Darkness_.

He nodded, "Yeah, but I've got to ask you a really important question."

There I stood, expecting some game-related question. And then, the most dreaded thing happened.

"What were you doing out of the kitchen woman!" He said a bit too loudly. The blonde boy chuckled and I rolled my eyes. Should have seen that coming.

I stormed back to my desk and ignored their jeers for the rest of class.

Fucking bastard.


	3. Invitation

Chapter Three: Invitation

**Author's Note:**** BAAAAAAH! Another chapter! Enjoy!**

**Thank you very much for the reviews! I love and appreciate them all!**

**And seriously, there is a first generation Xbox game called **_**JAWS: Unleashed**_**. Pretty damn awesome!**

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Lunch came and TenTen found me. "Dariru-chan," she gestured towards another table, "Come sit with us!" I complied and followed her.

The table was full of people. The only ones I recognized sitting there were Lee and Neji. I had to sit next to some girl with awesome pink hair and Lee, while TenTen found her way next to Neji.

I loved it when people dye their hair such vibrant colors. In Junior High, my hair had been a different color every month. First blonde, then purple, red, blue, and finally green. Now it was my natural brown color.

Anyway, the girl was the first one I struck a conversation with. "I really like your hair!"

She looks at me with green eyes and a smile. "Thanks!"

"Have you done any other colors besides pink?"

She shakes her head and holds out a hand. "I'm Sakura by the way."

I shake her hand, "Dariru."

A boy with spiky blonde hair snorts and looks at me. "Isn't that a guy's a name?" Well, I'll give him points for recognizing me as a girl.

Before I could tell him 'no', Sakura slapped him upside the head—very hard I might add—and snaps at him. "Idiot! Of course it's not a boy's name! Don't be so rude next time, Naruto!"

He rubbed the back of his head and I mouthed an apology to him. That slap had sounded painful.

"Sasuke-kun!" A blonde girl squealed. I thought she was Hidan's buddy at first, but remembered that the mobster's friend had been male, not female. She hugged an ebony-haired boy from behind.

The boy looked like he was about to shoot himself as the girl rubbed her pretty face against his head. To be honest, the girl was dressed like a hooker and it made me feel sorry for the boy she was hugging.

The blonde looked at him and asked a bit too huskily, "How's your day been Sasuke-kun?"

Good lord woman, you're in a high school! Not Hooters!

"Ino!" Sakura yelled, "Get your filthy pig-knuckles off of him!"

Oh good lord, that poor boy had two girls yelling over him. I was tempted to try to divert their attention away from him, but then I remembered Sakura slapping Naruto across the head.

Sorry raven-head, but you're on your own.

I glanced over at Lee while Sakura was having a bitch-fit with Ino, and noticed him glaring at Sasuke. It was a shocker, considering how happy he had been the day before. I whispered to him, "What's with the death glare Lee?"

He blinked and sighed like his heart had been broken. "I don't get it. I show Sakura my affection for her whenever I can, but she always turns me down. Sasuke-san just has to look at her and she's all over him!" He choked his plastic fork with clenched fists. "What does he have that I don't?"

An emo haircut and attitude for starters.

Personally, I wasn't into the emo guys. Or any guy whose legs were thinner than mine.

But in Sakura's case, it seemed to be the type of guy she got wet over. And Lee was definitely the opposite of all things emo.

"Don't get yourself too caught up with girls," I said to him kindly. "To be honest, girls don't know what kind of guy they want to spend the rest of their lives with in high school. So give her some time," I patted his back with a smile. "Maybe she'll realize you're the best thing that ever happened to her one day."

Lee looked like he was about to cry. Before I could get a word in, he gets me in a bone-crushing bear hug. "Thank you Dariru-san!" He exclaims in my ear. "I will continue to adore Sakura-san from afar! And continue to be a good friend for her!"

By now everyone at the table was giving us strange looks. You can guess that I wanted to be anywhere else but here right now.

Thankfully, TenTen comes to my rescue. "Hey Lee! Let her go, she'll suffocate!"

He lets me go and apologizes while I gasp for air. Hopefully, I'll get a warning next time.

Ino worms her way between Sasuke and Neji. Her sky-blue eyes giving the ebony-haired boy lustful glances every chance she got.

No, not lovestruck, _lustful_. Trust me, there's a big difference between the two. Sakura, on the other hand, seemed to give him a mixture of the two. A nice combination.

Naruto glared at Sasuke before turning to the pink-haired girl. "Hey Sakura. How about we go to a movie some time?"

"With you? No way!" As she squealed out in protest, I could hear Lee's sigh of relief.

"Aw, why not?" He sounded disappointed, but he didn't have a rejected look on his face. It was as if he had expected that answer from her. Maybe he had asked her out before?

"It's not like Sasuke'll go out with you," He added, "He never goes out with anybody!"

Her green eyes flared and her fists clenched. I thought for sure that she was going to pop him in the mouth. Thankfully, she realized that they were still school and slammed her palms on the table instead. "You're a total pervert! That's why I won't go out with you!"

Oh, and you aren't? That's what I wanted to say. Unless you're a child, or had been completely sheltered for your whole life, everyone has had perverted thoughts before. Some people just like to share their fantasies.

I took the less insulting approach.

"Everyone's a pervert," I said in the blonde boy's defense. "Some more than others."

Ino blinked in confusion before giving me a nervous smile. "You know, for guy you sound an awful lot like a girl."

I could hear TenTen holding back her laughter. Sakura was about to correct the blonde girl, but I stopped her. "Yeah, I get that a lot," I said, trying to make my voice a little deeper without sounding too ridiculous. "I'm told I get it from my grandpa."

"Aw, that's adorable!" She cooed.

TenTen sounded like she was about to lose it and I couldn't help but bite the inside of my cheeks. I loved messing with people like this. Sometimes, they'd get so confused that they start to question their sexual orientation. It was so funny to watch the gears grind in their head. And Naruto looked even more confused.

Poor boy. Maybe he'll figure out it's just a joke.

"Good afternoon," A silky voice announced itself. I had to crane my neck to see the owner, and it made me wonder what else this school has in store for me.

To call him a "boy" did not seem like the proper term. This guy was closer to a man than most College students.

He looked like Sasuke but was older and had longer hair. Pale skin, onyx eyes, and a flawless face, jaw, and body it would seem. Unlike Sasuke, this man was dressed for business. A nice fitting white shirt and black slacks with matching belt. He was the type of guy that all girls would fantasize about at least once in their life time, no matter what their opinion of him was.

His companion did not seem like the "boy" type either. Then again, he didn't look like the human type.

I'm not joking when I say that this guy had blue skin. It was a light shade of blue, but it was still freakin' _blue_! Even his hair was a darker shade of the primary color! His face looked rough and his jaw tight. There were these little marks on his cheeks that looked like gills beneath his white, beady eyes. His nose was pretty big too. Just looking at him made me want to play _JAWS: Unleashed_.

"What do you want?" Sasuke grumbled. The sound of the boy's voice almost made me jump.

So the emo can speak. That's good to know.

"Just wanted to remind you and your friends about the party we're having this Friday," The pale man looked at everyone when he said this. "You're all welcome to come if you'd like."

I could barely hear him talk; only because I wasn't really paying attention to him. As rude as it might be, I was too busy staring at his blue partner, trying to figure out how all of that blue could have gotten on his skin. He wasn't even trying to hide it either. The man was wearing one of those gray wife-beater tank-tops and tan khaki shorts.

He caught me staring at him and I gave him a shy smile. To me, he looked pretty handsome. So when he gave me a confused look, I had to remind myself how much of a guy I looked like.

He even said, "No homo," to me as his buddy wrapped up the verbal invitation.

At this, I look at my tray of untouched food and began poking at a piece of broccoli. Maybe I should start rethinking my wardrobe?

The two left after the message was delivered. But as soon as they were out of ear-shot, I turned to TenTen and asked. "Who were those guys?"

Sakura heard my question and answered for the brunette. "You don't know?" She gasped. "That was Uchiha Itachi! He's one of the most popular guys in the school!"

At her words, Sasuke stabbed at his pizza with a spork. "Can we _not _talk about my brother?" He demanded more than asked. The pink haired girl gave him an apologetic look before looking down at a text book.

Well that would explain why the pale man had looked like Sasuke. "Okay, but what about the blue guy?" My curiosity was itching to know.

Again, TenTen was interrupted but by Ino this time. "That's Hoshigaki Kisame. He's basically Itachi's bodyguard to keep girls like Sakura off of him."

"I am _not _like one of _those _girls!" Sakura snapped back into her fury, but Ino ignored her.

"To be honest, I don't know why Itachi started hanging out with him in the first place. The guy's so weird lookin'. Not to mention he's a total nutcase."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah he is! This one time, I was over at Sasuke's house. And then that guy comes up to me and says 'Oh, I guess I'm gonna have to cut your hands off.'. And he was holding a huge _butcher knife_ when he said it!"

I couldn't help but cringe at his words. Even though most of it must have been an exaggeration it was still kind of scary. Then again, the guy—Kisame right?- could have just been joking around with Naruto. Dark humor does exist after all. Though, it didn't help that the guy resembled a shark. And I could have sworn I had seen pointed teeth when he had said "no homo" to me.

* * *

That god damn blue bastard.

As soon as I had gotten home, I had gotten out my old Xbox and started playing _JAWS: Unleashed_. It's been four hours now and I was still playing the damn game. I wasn't even doing the main storyline either; I was just swimming around, killing swimmers, destroying boats, and killing dolphin pods.

Yeah, you heard me right. In this game, you get to play as Bruce. _The _most infamous shark in Hollywood.

Of course, the crappy camera angles made it difficult to maneuver, but I got over it...until the camera decided to give Bruce's almighty jaws a close-up.

I closed my eyes and reached blindly for the TV's remote. As soon as I found it I turned the screen off and opened my eyes. My heart was beating so fast in my chest and my hand was shaking like crazy.

I have a love/hate relationship with sharks. When they're on the TV, the computer, or in a book, I can deal with them (but even then I get a little frightened on occasion, as you have just seen. But that's rare). However, if you put me in one of those Shark Tunnels at the Aquarium, I become terrified. It's because of this shark-phobia that I can't go into the ocean or an empty swimming pool.

If you're confused, don't worry. It confuses me too. Hell, it's my phobia and even I don't understand why I can watch _Shark Week _without so much as a wince; but I can't even brave going through a secure glass tunnel.

And Hoshigaki Kisame was just making it worse. The guy looked like a shark but I wasn't afraid of him. In fact, I was more amazed than anything.

I turned off the Xbox before going to the kitchen table. I need to get started on my homework.


	4. Party Hardy

Chapter Four: Party Hardy

**Author's Note:**** ( . Y . ) ← LOL bewbies.**

**Anyway, I've got a FictionPress account. Look up MyBloodFetish. I've got one story up so far, but I think you guys might enjoy it. **

**Thank you for the reviews! :3 Love them all!**

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The bell rang and students rushed to their lockers. Today was Friday and everybody was eager to leave school and start their weekend off with a glorious bang. Personally, I was excited to sleep in 'til nine in the morning. Hey, it's a pretty big deal when you've been getting at five for school.

Just as I was about to leave my locker, Sakura comes up to me with a big smile. "So you're going to the party right?" She asks.

"Party?" I echo. I don't remember being invited to a party.

"Yeah," she grinned, "the party at Sasuke-kun's house. Except, his brother's the host." A small hint of pink rose in her cheeks at the mention of the Uchiha brothers.

Then the memory hit me. I remembered Itachi addressing the whole table and the blue man who had accompanied him. The urge to play _JAWS _returned, but I pushed it away. Now I know what she was talking about.

"Oh, um, I'm not sure." I said honestly. "My mom might have something planned already." I love my mom. If she wants to go somewhere with me, then I'll go with her. Even if it's to a place that I know will bore me to tears. It makes her happy when I go to places with her.

"I'm sure she'll let you go out," Sakura said. "Parents like it when their kids socialize. Especially if they've just moved." The girl had a point. But I wasn't too interested in parties unless I had friends to hang with there. And sure, Sakura seemed like an okay gal, but I think she'd be more interested in stalking Sasuke or Itachi than hanging out with a friend.

"I'll think about it," I answered honestly as I put my back-pack on.

She seemed to take it as a positive answer. "Great! I'll see ya there!" Her long pink hair swung back and forth as she ran to her locker.

I had to dash through the halls in order to catch the bus. On the way home, I thought about whether I should go to the party or not.

I really should go just for the experience. I might even meet a lot of friends or a potential boyfriend there. The only problem was that I had no idea what Itachi's home address was.

Oh darn.

* * *

Mom was still in the office by the time I had gotten back. She was being so overworked lately; more work was the last thing she needed to deal with. In an effort to help her out, I cleaned the house up. It would just be one less thing for her to do.

As soon as I had finished loading dirty dishes into the dishwasher, someone knocked on the door. It surprised me because I hadn't given my address out to anybody. At least, not that I can recall.

The knocking continues and I begin to silently approach the door. I look through the peephole and am surprised to see TenTen standing there.

"It's about time you answered," She complained once I had opened the door. The girl looked like she was dressed for a rave. Her neon green belly top and matching mini skirt nearly blinded me. Bare legs were covered with fishnet leggings, which disappeared into her platform boots.

That outfit was bound to attract the attention of many guys.

"How do you know where I live?" I asked as she steps into my house.

"I looked you up during my Office Aid period." She grins mischievously before looking me up and down. "You're not going to be wearing _that _are you?" It wasn't the first time someone was disappointed with my choice of attire.

"Why not?" I shrugged. "It's not like I'm going anywhere."

Another grin began to spread on her adorable face. "Oh yes you are! You're going to that party Itachi's having!"

I began to throw excuses at her.

"But I don't know where his house is!"

"Don't worry, I know how to get there."

"I don't even know the guy!"

"He doesn't know half the people he invites. It's all for show."

"What if I'm not allowed in?"

"They'll let anybody in! Even Choji gets in and he devours most of the food!"

"Okay," I sigh, "I'll go if my mom says its okay."

The girl grinned, "Alright. I'm gonna pick out a better outfit for you to wear!" She charged up the stairs and found my room after some investigation. Good thing my room was kind of clean.

I called Mom and heard her tired voice on the speaker. "This is Atsuko."

"Hey mom," I greet her.

"Dariru-chan!" Her mood is lifted immediately. "How was school sweetie?"

"Good."

"Did you make some new friends?"

"A few, yeah."

"You got any plans for the weekend?" Every time she asks me that, I know she wants me to go out and have fun. Guess I'll be going to that party after all.

"That's what I was calling about," I explained, "there's a party going on at this guy's house. My friends want me to tag along. So, can I go?" That's right. I'm seventeen years old and I'm asking my mother permission if I can go places. It's not that she's too restrictive or controlling, she actually lets me do a lot of things. But she just likes knowing where I'm gonna be and who I'm with. You know, typical parental stuff.

"Of course Dariru-chan!" She sounds so happy now. "I'm so glad you're going out! I think you really need to do this. It'll be good for you. So go on and have fun! Just be sure to come back safe, okay?"

"Okay," I can't help but smile. "Thanks Mom. I love you."

I can hear her smile too. "I love you too baby. Call me if something happens, alright? So bring your god damn cell phone!"

I giggle, "Alright, alright. I will. Bye!"

"Have fun sweetie!" The connection is lost with a _click_.

Now I have to go to the party. Mom would ask too many questions if I'm still home when she gets out of work. And I'm a horrible liar, so I can't tell TenTen that Mom said 'no'.

Oh well. Maybe I'll actually have some fun.

I go up to my room to find clothes all over my floor and bed. Stanley and Shadow were laying lazily on the white and black articles on purpose, I could tell.

"Wh-what are you doing!" I squeak, trying to put the clothes back into their proper drawers.

TenTen puts her hands on her hips and glares at me. "You don't have a lot of party clothes. But luckily, I found something that will do." She holds up a black tank-top with gray stripes going across the front. There were some neon yellow, pink and green lines that made the shapes of stars and muffins. In her other hand is a pair of black jeans.

If I had shorts, I'm sure she would have picked them out instead. But I refuse to wear shorts; I hate showing off my pasty legs.

As soon as I had finished stuffing my clothes back where they had come from, I snatched the clothes from her and went into the bathroom to change. It had been a while since I had worn this tank top. Surprisingly, it made it look like I had decent-sized breasts.

Once I had finished getting my boots on, I lead my companion to my old car. She seemed excited and jumped into the passenger side as soon as the doors were unlocked.

"Okay," I sighed, starting the engine and opening the garage door. "Show me the way girlie."

* * *

There were so many people in the front yard, most of them griping red plastic cups. The music was so loud that I could feel it coursing through the ground as the bass pounded through the walls. TenTen dragged me inside and down the stairs, where the source of the music was coming from.

The sheer volume almost made me deaf and I wasn't even close to the DJ. There were so many bodies rubbing against each other as they danced to the rhythm of music. It was considerably hotter down here than it had been upstairs, making it hard to breath. Thankfully, there was a cooler sitting in the corner. I grabbed a Cherry Coke and gulped the cool liquid down.

I had no idea where TenTen had run off to. There was no one I recognized here. So much for having fun. I leaned against the wall, sipping casually on my beverage as I watched girls grind against their dance partners, whether they be male or female.

I would have joined them if they had been my friends. Like I said, not much of a party person with strangers.

"Why are you just standing there, hmm?" A guy hollered at me over the music.

When I turned to look at him, I recognized him as the blonde Hidan had been talking with in geometry. He was wearing a black shirt that had fishnets for sleeves and tight blue jeans. His hair looked messy, even in the pony tail. The guy must have been dancing a lot.

I shrugged and hollered back, "Cause I'm bored! And I just got here!"

He grins and snatches the Cherry Coke out of my hand, placing it on the busy pool table. "That's 'cause you're not on the floor, yeah!" He grabs my wrist and pulls me towards the crowd of dancers. The music was so loud that I could feel the beat course through my veins and control the beat of my heart.

If I had been surrounded by friends, I'd go nuts with the dancing, not caring if I looked like an idiot. But with strangers, I become nervous and tense up. The blonde boy bounces to the beat and I try to follow. He laughs at me and I stop.

Why was I even trying?

Just as I was about to turn to leave, he grabs my arms and presses my back against him. A hot blush crawls to my cheeks and his hands move to my shoulders. "Relax," he says loud enough for me to hear. "Just follow my lead." I felt his hips sway back and forth smoothly. I try to copy his movements, but I could feel myself tense up. Without warning, his hands are on my hips and he's directing them on which way to go.

Eventually, I was able to wiggle my hips without his help. Of course, he had to help me out with a few other moves when it came time to use them. Surprisingly, I was having a good time and I didn't even know his name. This was a first.

The fifth song died down and I went back to the cooler for a drink. All of the dancing bodies was making it so hot that it was starting to suffocate me. I opened a Sprite, the cooler was out of Cherry Coke, and chugged half of the can down greedily.

Apparently, he had followed me. I almost choked on my drink when he appeared next to me. "You look familiar, hmm," he admitted. I guess I would look different without all the layers of clothing hiding my femininity.

"I'll give you a hint," I teased, "We go to the same school."

He chuckled and gave me a playful shove. "That's barely a hint!"

I swallowed a mouthful of the carbonated drink. "Tell me your name and I'll tell you know what class we have together."

He grinned at this. "Deidara, yeah."

"Alright, you ready? I'm only gonna say it once." I laughed as he leaned in closer, pointing his ear towards my mouth. Before I could answer, I heard something crash down the stairs, followed by a delightful "WOOO!"

My curiosity made my feet go towards the stairs, even as Deidara hollered at me. "Hey, wait! You didn't tell me what class we have, un!"

"Geometry!" I yelled before turning the corner.

At the base of the stairs was a drunken Hidan. His drink had spilled all over the carpet and walls, somehow missing his white shirt and tan khakis. The boy was laughing like someone had told a joke. "YEAH!" He declared at the top of his lungs. "THAT FUCKING HURT!" Again, a burst of laughter erupted from him before he fell silent.

"You alright?" I asked. Well, duh self. Of course he's not alright! He's drunk and just got done falling down a large flight of stairs!

He mumbled some drunken slur before his head drooped to one side.

This was not good. A concussion was the last thing this guy needed.

I looked around, wondering why no one else was trying to help him. Even Deidara was nowhere to be seen. With a sigh, I bent down and forced him to sit up. It was difficult to get him to stand up, let alone trying to get him up the stairs again. I had almost lost my balance on multiple occasions as he swung his weight around in confusion.

The stairs had been completed, and I continued through the crowds of people stuffing their faces with pizza, chips and unknown beverages. Were other people drunk too? Or was it just Hidan?

I made it to a sliding glass door, which lead to a nice wooden porch. Once it was open, I didn't bother closing it. I hurried over to a step, which lead to a covered hot tub, and placed Hidan there.

I sat next to him as he started looking around. Some of the alcohol seemed to be wearing out...or was he just getting used to it? I couldn't tell so I nudged his shoulder, "Are you okay?"

He looked at me like I was crazy. "Fuck yeah I'm okay! Never felt any fuckin' better baby!" The nickname made me shiver uncomfortably. I had to remind myself that he was drunk and had no idea what he was saying.

"The fuck are we doing outside?" he grumbled with a frown, "The party's inside!" When he tried to stand up, I pulled him back down.

"No way are you going back inside!" If he fell down the stairs again, he could break his neck or some other bone. Hell, he might even go unconscious and no one would help him until it could be too late. There was no way I would allow any blood on my hands. _Especially_ at my first party in the new neighborhood!

A weird smile crossed his features. I ignored it until I felt him tug at the strap of my tank-top. "Woah!" I pulled away from him, "The hell are you doing?"

"Oh come on," He grinned, "Girls only want to be alone with a man for one reason." Again he groped at my tank-top strap and I slapped his hand away. Bad move.

With a glare, he grabbed my arm and smothered my face into his shirt. Even as I tried to push away from him, he held me against him tightly. He was stronger than he looked and it was terrifying.

Cold air attacked my bare back and I screamed as loud as I could,; even when my throat started to hurt. As soon as his fingers found my bra's clasp, he was jerked off of me. Immediately, I pulled my shirt down and stood up, ready for anything.

"Alright, I'm going! I'm fucking going!" Hidan grumbled drunkenly before he was shoved back inside. A blue hand slammed the sliding door shut before my rescuer turned to face me.

There was an embarrassed look on Kisame's face as he walked over to me. Then again, I'd be pretty embarrassed too if I had caught some guy trying to rape a girl.

"You alright?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Thank you for getting him off." Seriously, I don't care what Naruto or Ino have to say about this guy; from this point forward, Kisame's the best person on this whole planet.

We stood in an awkward silence. The wind kicked up and I started shivering, hugging my arms. It was then that he gave me a confused look. "You look...familiar. Have we met before?"

A smirk crossed my lips. "Not formally. But, you did say 'no homo' to me during lunch."

His jaw dropped and I could see his teeth. Yup. Definitely pointed.

"Holy shit," he gasped, "I had no idea you were a girl then!" A small laugh escaped him. "Dude, I am so sorry!"

That laughter was contagious. "Don't worry about it. I get that a lot."

"I'm Kisame by the way," he nods at me, flashing me a smile of pointed teeth. Again, I want to play _JAWS. _

I've really gotta stop these urges.

I hold my hand out to him for a hand shake. "Dariru." He grasps my hand tightly and I could feel the rough callouses on his palms. "Kind of wish we had introduced ourselves under better circumstances though," I add with a chuckle.

He gets the joke and chuckles too.

* * *

It was weird. When I got home, I felt light. Not sick light, but happy light. Yeah, weird right? I'm almost raped and I feel _happy_. But it's not the Hidan incident that I was thinking about. As I plop onto my bed there were only two things on my mind:

My dance lessons with Deidara and Kisame saving me.

The dance lessons made me feel better about myself. No one had laughed at me and a nice looking guy had even danced with me. I felt more confident about myself. And it was strange feeling, but I liked it a lot! I felt like I could take on the whole world!

And Kisame...

In a fairy tale, he'd be the last person to save anybody. In fact, he'd probably be the bad guy of the story. And despite my weird shark-phobia, I wasn't afraid of him. Even when I saw those pointed teeth of his, I felt nothing but happiness. Though, that might be because he had helped me out.

Whatever it was, I could tell you one thing that I knew for sure:

I was so totally crushing on him.


End file.
